Trump administration denies mitigation aid after WA floods

Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard

April 27, 2026 / 11:21 am

caption: Flooding from the White River is shown surrounding homes near Butte Avenue on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, in Pacific.

The Trump administration has denied Washington’s request for federal funding to prepare for future floods after a historic deluge hit the state late last year.

The letter Thursday from Federal Emergency Management Agency Associate Administrator Gregg Phillips gives little explanation for the denial. Phillips only writes that the federal hazard mitigation grants are “not warranted.”

The state has 30 days to appeal.

President Donald Trump earlier this month approved separate requests for federal aid to help individuals, nonprofits and state, tribal and local governments rebuild. The December flooding forced evacuation orders for over 100,000 Washingtonians and damaged nearly 4,000 homes, according to the state.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, called the Trump administration’s move on the mitigation funding “an unacceptable decision for the families and businesses that I represent.”

“The disaster declaration helps people recover from the last flood, but hazard mitigation helps people survive the next flood,” Larsen said in a statement, adding that FEMA “should be helping Northwest Washington prepare for the inevitable next major flood, not just doing damage control.”

In February, Ferguson pegged the preliminary damage at $182.3 million. Of that total, the state could ask the federal government to cover three-quarters. That’s roughly $137 million. This pot is what Trump agreed to, though it’s unclear exactly how much money will flow into the state.

When Ferguson made the request, he cited a new floodwall in Mount Vernon that protected the Skagit County city from more devastating flooding in December to make the case for the funding to prepare for future disasters.

At the time, he said the toll from the flooding “would have been even worse, significantly worse, without infrastructure to protect against flooding.”

The state can ask for mitigation funding of up to 20% of its total damage estimate. That would be a maximum of over $36 million in this case.

Ferguson’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the denial.

Trump has made a point of rejecting aid for some states led by Democrats, including in Washington in the aftermath of the 2024 bomb cyclone.

The deadline for individuals impacted by the flooding to apply for federal funding is June 10. The aid is available to people in Chelan, Grays Harbor, King, Lewis, Pacific, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston and Whatcom counties and numerous tribal communities. People should first file claims with their insurance providers, then apply for federal assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 1-800-621-3362, or using the FEMA App.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, FEMA approved over $250 million nationwide to help state and local communities protect against future floods. This included nearly $930,000 for the city of Enumclaw for culvert design replacement, $300,000 for Snohomish County, and $180,000 for the state Department of Ecology to develop a strategy to reduce flood risk in areas frequently beset by flooding.

The state has gone to court with the Trump administration over the withholding of more than $150 million in other disaster mitigation funding for Washington. Among the projects left in limbo were levee and floodwall construction in Aberdeen and Hoquiam.

Last month, Attorney General Nick Brown, along with other states, secured a court order requiring FEMA to take concrete steps to reverse the cancellation of the funding.

These funding streams are separate from what the Trump administration denied this week.

This story was originally published by the Washington State Standard.